Railway cross-tie.



F. E. ABBOTT.

RAILWAY GROSS TIE.

APPLIOATION FILED APR.11. 1907.

91 1,022. Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

P. E. ABBOTT.

RAILWAY GROSS TIE.

APPLIGATION FILED APR.11, 1907.

91 1,022, Patented Feb. 2; 1-909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

2 i Y /7 b a i 20 I i6' attozmuzq urrnn STATES PATEN FRANKLIN n. ABBOTT, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

amwnr cnoss-mml Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

Application filed April 11, 1907. Serial No. 867,478.

York, have invented certain new and useful ImprovementsinBailwa Cross-Ties; and I do ereby declare the f0 owin to be a full, clear, and exact descri tion oft e invention,

such as will enable ot ers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates torailway cross ties or stringers and rail supporting and fastening means therefor.

The object of the invention is to provide a metallic cross tie having suflicient weight and frictional surface to hold the same in position in the ballast, an ample base or support for the rails and also to provide meanswhereby the rails may be readily and removably secured to the ties.

The invention also contemplates the provision of rail fastening means, which will relieve the bolts from shearing strains, and, while made to standards, are so constructed asto be reversible to alter the gage of the track whenever such alteration is found necessary, as for example on curves;

V The invention has also in view the provision of means for effectively insulating the rails from the cross ties, the insulating me-' dium also constituting acushion to reduce noise and take up shocks. In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of my improved tie showing a rail section in position. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional elevation of a tie showing the mode of securing the rails thereto. Fig, 3 is aside elevation of a portion of the tie and rail fastening means, showing the rail in cross section. a Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section taken transversely of the rail and through one of the securing means. Fig. 5 is a vertical section'taken at right angles to that shown in Fig.v 4. v

The metallic portion of the tie is of a modified channel form, having atop plate or web 2, with downwardly pro ecting webs or flanges 3 located inside of the'side edges of the top plate, so as to provide flanges 4 projecting outwardly, be end said websfor the purpose of receiving t e rail fastening means.

his metallic portion of the tie is of uniform section from end to end, so that it may be convenientl made by rolling. It is adapted to be placed in the road bed with the plate or and, in order to hold the plate in p web 2 uppermost and horizontal and the webs or legs 3 projecting downwardly.

To give sufficient weight to the tie, and also. to rovide additional frictional engagement with the ballast, the hollow lower portion is provided with a suitable filling material 5, which is preferably of cement or concrete, and may, if desired, be of any suitable material packed and compressed in lace. The bottom of the filling material, 1s, of course, in frictional en agement with the ballast and will materia y aid in-reducing the endwise movement of the tie.

In order to more securely hold the t1e 1n ositionin the ballast and prevent it from I sing jarred out, the bottom,.face of this filllng 5 may conveniently be made concave, as shown. The lower edges of .the webs or flanges 3 are provided with inwardly roj'ectlng ribs or beads 7, which stren t en said webs or 'flan es 3 and serve to loclz the filling firmly in p ace, and the inner faces of said webs orflanges 3, as well as the bottom face of the top plate 2, are preferably roughened or ribbed in the rolling operation, to

rovide additional anchorage for the filling.

o efiect this'result, slight projections 8, as illustrated in Fig. 2, may be rovided on the inner surfaces of the channe but it will be understood that any other convenient mode 'of roughening the surface may be employed.

The rails 9 rest upon the base late 10,

-- which is separated from the meta '0 cross tie by a suitable layer or late of insulati material 11, which may e of fiber, W035 or any other suitable insulating material, and which, preferably, will also be sulficiently elastic to give a cushioning effect to reduce noise and take u shock. The rail fastening bolts 12 extend up through holes in the flanges 4 of the tie and through corres ending-holes formed in the baseplate 10 an intermediate plate 11. Each of said bolts is insulated from the flange 4 b means of a flanged fiber ring 14 surroun the bolt and projecting through the hole in the flange 4. If a board or other similar fiber is employed as an intermediate plate 11, there is always some liability of splitting, ace and prevent it escaping, should it split, the metallic base plate 10 is flanged, preferably on all edges, as shown at 15, 1111 order to form a shallow pan-like structure which caps and entirely mcloses the intermediate p ate 11 on its top and sides, and therefore prevents e r. nose the latter from getting out of place under I applied andremovedwithaminimum amount any conditions.

The rails are held in place by means of old s 16 which are perforated to receive the bolts 12, which latter are provided with nuts 17 held against accidental turningb spring Washers 18. The clips 16 are forms with flat top and bottom faces and at their ends with rojecting beveled or inclined portions 19 w 'ch overlap the face flanges of the rails. Said clips are also provided with lugs 20 adapted to enter holes or recesses 21 in the base plate, so as to relieve the bolts of all shearing strains. The base plate 10 serves substantially as a tie between the clips on the two opposite sides of the rails. The clips 16 have both ends and both faces alike so that they are reversible, and either end may be made to overlap the base flanges of the rail. Une of the ends, however, is slightly shorter than the other, that is to say, shorter with reference tothe center of the bolt hole therethrough. Consequently by reversing the clips, the-gage of the track may be altered, as, for instance, on curves where the gage should be somewhat greater "than on straight tracks. 'lhese clips are of standardv form and may conveniently be made by rolling, 4 showing the cross section of the bar to be rolled, and which is formed into clips by cutting the bar into short sections and appropriately unching or drilling the bolt holes therein. nasmuch as the metallic portion of the cross tie may also be formed by rolling, it will be noted that all parts of the structure can be made to standards.

The flan es 4 of each cross tie are preferably provi edwith four holes in each flange for receiving the rail fastening bolts 12, although, if desired, only two clips need be used for each rail fastening, said clips being arranged diagonally with respect to the rail. The holes in the flanges will be punched at such. distances apart so as to accommodate the widest standard rail base, and then, by merely varying the length of the fastening clips, any rail of lesser base may be secured to the tie; consequently when track is being relaid with rails of a different width of base, it is not necessary to remove the cross ties, but merely to substitutes different and appropriate size of clip to suit the change in the base.

inasmuch as the outwardly projecting flanges of the cross always lie substantially at the surface of the ballast, it will be apparent that the rail fastening bolts may be of disturbance to the ballast.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is l. A railway cross tie or stringer, comprising a metallic member having a top plate or web and legs or flanges projecting downwardly therefrom inside of its side edges and beaded longitudinally of their lower edges, thereby leaving outwardly projecting flanges which are perforated for receiving rail faste'ning means.

2. A. railway cross tie or stringer comprising a metallic member having a top plate or web and legs or flanges projecting downwardly therefrom inside of its side edges, thereby leaving outwardly projecting flanges at the top for receiving rail fastening means, and a composite filling between the top plate and downwardly projecting legs.

3. A railway cross tie or stringer, comprising a metallic member having a top plate or web and legs or flanges projecting downwardly therefrom inside of its side edges, thereby leaving outwardly )rojccting flanges at the top for receiving tie rail fastening means, said to plate and downwardly projecting legs being roughened on their inner faces and filling material such as cement lilling the space between said legs and top plate.

4. A railway cross tie or stringer, comprising a metallic member of modified channel form having the flanges or legs projecting downwardly and having outwardly projecting flanges at the top, said flanges or legs having an inwardly projecting beading extending longitudinally thereof and filling material between said legs or llanges and the top of the tie, said filling material having a concave lower face.

5. A metallic tie rolled, or otherwise shaped, in the form of a trough-like structure having flanges formed integrally with and projecting from the top plate and extending longitudinally thereof, together with a iill ng of concrete.

6. A. metallic tie rolled, or otherwise shaped, in, the form of trough-like structure having rounded lower edges on the su porting walls and an inwardly projecting bead: ing extending longitudinally thereof, and a filling of concrete.

testimony whereof l allir; my signature, presence of two witnesses.

FRANK N 13.313 01"? V nesses:

Gnonen W. SMITH, 

